


Interhouse Unity

by Thysanotus



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-11-13
Updated: 2005-11-13
Packaged: 2018-10-27 07:31:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10804668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thysanotus/pseuds/Thysanotus
Summary: There's something to be said for Potter and Malfoy





	Interhouse Unity

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

  
Author's notes: This is the fifth of 22 ficlets written in the leadup to my birthday. Tonight's fic is for [](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=tabiji)[](http://www.livejournal.com/users/tabiji/)**tabiji** , who requested _Harry/Draco, "You're not so bad yourself," fluff, fluff, fluff._ Well, I think my teeth rotted and fell out writing this. I hope you like it!  


* * *

“According to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, ethics are concerned with what we ought or ought not to do. Ethical principles provide standards for the evaluation of policies and practices.” Draco looked up from the spiky writing covering his parchment.  
  
Harry threw his hands up in despair. “This is pointless, Malfoy,” he snapped. “You have no real understanding of ethics and morality. Sure, you can spout off these definitions, I bet you know them inside out and back to front. You don’t really know what they mean, though. You can’t apply them to your life. In the end, that’s all that matters, isn’t it? Whether or not you can live ethically.”  
  
He shook his head disparagingly, and stormed out of the library. He could feel Draco’s eyes burning into his spine the whole way to the door.  
  
Harry flung himself on his bed. He was still fuming. Not only had Dumbledore had this brilliant idea to teach the seventh years philosophy, but he’d also assigned partners to promote interhouse unity. Hermione was fine. She was working with Lisa Turpin, a Ravenclaw who believed in the value of research as feverently as Hermione. Ron was working with Hannah Abbott, who at least worked hard, and wasn’t an insufferable prat. Unlike Malfoy.  
  
\--  
  
The next day found Harry banging on a bare strip of dungeon wall. “Oi! Malfoy! Open up!”  
  
The wall slid aside to reveal Snape with a supercilious sneer on his features. “May I enquire as to the reason you are banging on the door of my private quarters, Mr Potter?” He raised an eyebrow.  
  
Harry winced. “I thought this was the entrance to the Slytherin common room, Sir.” There was no point in lying. Snape was bound to find out the truth sooner or later.  
  
“And why would Mr. Potter, Gryffindor’s _noble_ hero,” Snape lingered a little too long on the second half of the sentence for Harry’s liking, “be looking for the Slytherin common room?”  
  
By now, Harry was squirming under Snape’s gaze. “Malfoy and I have an essay due for Philosophy,” he replied shortly. Snape raised his other eyebrow.  
  
“Perhaps you’d better come in. Mr. Malfoy and I were just having a discussion.”  
  
Harry edged his way into Snape’s office. It was nothing special. It looked like every other teacher’s office that he’d been in. There were no personal touches, unless you counted the large Slytherin tapestry on one wall, but even that looked bedraggled and dusty.  
  
Malfoy was slouched in a chair opposite the desk, eyes half lidded. He looked unsurprised to see Harry, giving a brief nod before returning his attention to the object he was holding.  
  
“Ethics, Mr. Potter, is a far wider topic than I have been given to understand your perceptions of it are,” Snape sneered, from behind Harry.  
  
Harry didn’t bother to reply. Arguing with Snape would result only in the loss of house points, or worse. He looked at Malfoy, who returned his gaze coolly, dropping the object in his pocket. Keeping his eyes fixed on Harry, Draco opened his mouth.  
  
“Professor, I’ll leave you in peace. Potter and I can discuss our essay elsewhere.”  
  
Harry didn’t see Snape’s reaction, but he sensed the darkening in the atmosphere at Draco’s words. Draco stood gracefully, and led the way to the door. Professor Snape watched them leave, and Harry felt the hair on the back of his neck prickling uncomfortably as he followed Draco down the hallway.  
  
As they rounded the corner, Draco pulled Harry into a curtained alcove.  
  
“Potter,” he snapped. “Can we just get this essay finished? Then we’ll never have to talk to one another again, and we can go back to hating each other like civilised people.”  
  
Harry looked down at Draco’s hands clenched in the front of his jumper. They were pale and slim fingered, he noted idly, the knuckles showing whiter with strain. His own fingers looked stubby and unwieldy by comparison, as he carefully peeled Draco’s fingers from the wool one by one.  
  
“I don’t enjoy your company any more than you enjoy mine. My point was merely that you had absolutely no comprehension of ethics, and I was going to suggest we worked separately.” They were the words Harry intended to say, certainly, but they stuck in his mouth oddly, the temptation to swallow them almost too great.  
  
Instead, he managed to stutter something to the effect that he didn’t mind working with Draco that much, and surely after one more study session they’d have the essay done. Draco’s lip curled and he sniffed.  
  
“Fine. Meet me at 11. On top of the Astronomy Tower.” As Harry opened his mouth, Draco cocked his head.  
  
“Scared, Potter?” he asked.  
  
Harry straightened his shoulders.  
  
“I’ll be there,’ he replied, steadily.  
  
\--  
  
The sky was tinged a dark grey at the horizon, stars twisting overhead as Harry lay flat on his back. His eyes were closed, though, and the earth was spinning underneath him.  
  
At exactly 11 o’clock, he heard the scrape of leather against the stone behind him. A hint of a smile curved his mouth, and he spoke without sitting.  
  
“Well, come on then,” he said, lazily.  
  
Footsteps echoed across the roof of the tower, stopping inches from his head, and as Harry rolled his eyes up, he could see himself reflected in the high sheen of the polish.  
  
“Malfoy,” he said, politely.  
  
“Potter.”  
  
He heard the swish of robes and felt the movement of air across his face as Draco sat next to him, putting the leather book bag he was carrying on the ground.  
  
They sat in silence, the night wrapping around them.  
  
After a long while, Harry propped himself on one elbow.  
  
“Malfoy – you know, you’re not so bad.”  
  
“You’re not so bad yourself, Potter.”


End file.
